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The Temptations Sing Smokey 1965
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The Temptations Sing Smokey

This album, The Temptations Sing Smokey, released in 1965 by the Gordy Records label, stands out for being a deep dive into the sonic universe of Smokey Robinson. Each track was written and produced by him, often in collaboration with other members of The Miracles. The recording spanned from September 1963 to March 1965 at the legendary Hitsville U.S.A. studios in Detroit, and the result is a work of soul and rhythm and blues that aimed to offer a coherent listening experience, beyond being a simple collection of hits. Within this album, we find several songs that became benchmarks.

Year
1965
Songs
12
Duration
33 min 57 seg
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About the album

The Temptations Sing Smokey, according to DoReSol

"The Way You Do the Things You Do" is one of them, with lead vocals by Eddie Kendricks. Then, David Ruffin takes center stage on two tracks that marked the group's identity: "It's Growing" and the iconic "My Girl". "Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue)" is also included, along with its B-side "Baby, Baby I Need You", although other songs previously released as singles, "I'll Be in Trouble" and "So Good About Goodbye", are not part of this work but would appear on the next one. The structure of The Temptations Sing Smokey, along with other works of the era such as The Supremes' Where Did Our Love Go, represented a shift in how full-length albums were conceived.

Previously, it was common for LPs to be compilations of successful singles with some filler tracks. However, this album, and others of its time, offered a consistent sound across both sides, featuring not only known hits and those to come, but also original material that would not be released as a single, providing a more complete experience for the listener.